Acceptance
by Can't Blink
Summary: One-shot. Takes place after Appreciated. Ghidorah regrows Ni back, and something seems to have changed. Ichi tries to talk to him again, and it seems all well and good. But at what cost...?


It was sometime in the afternoon hours when they finally returned to the volcano.

Circling around, they could see their slave still there, next to the severed head of their brother, and the bird looked up at them as they swooped in for a landing. He seemed overjoyed to see them again and tried to make room for them by moving into the lava pit; unfortunately, that was where they were going to land and Ichi was undeterred from their trajectory as he allowed a slight smirk upon his snout. Ghidorah's feet planted themselves right on top of the bird.

The squawk was drowned out quickly as Rodan was pushed into the magma as waves of it splashed thickly over the rim and they felt him scramble out from under them. He came up with a gasp beside them as he pulled himself back onto the rim. With his good wing, he managed to drag himself out completely onto land; they tended to stay out of the lava, so this change took him off-guard and seemed to scare the hell out of him. San almost laughed as their wide-eyed slave coughed and shook the lava from his face. Almost. Because he knew what was coming next.

As they sat in the pool, the molten rock bubbling against their scaled hide and folded wings bracing themselves on the rim, the energy their body had to regenerate sky-rocketed. The two steeled themselves as the painful throb in their shoulder area increased. And then-

San and Ichi screamed at the same time as the organ began to contract, pushing its contents upward through the neck. Wave after wave of relentless pain plagues them and it took effort for the alpha head to stifle his voice. He had to focus and his eyes locked onto the remains of his brother. He can see the movement beneath the transparent membrane, and he followed the impulse to rip it off, the fluid beneath splashing with a hiss into the magma beneath them.

They could feel their slave nestle against their left side in some show of support, nibbling San's neck in a comforting groom for a few seconds before-

"Push!" he was saying with a grin, and they were in too much pain to try to figure out what he was meaning by that. No, it only earned a bite in return from the agonized left head. San doesn't let go, and although the bird lets out a cry of pain, he must've realized it was an automatic response. His wing claws continue to pet their scales, muttering more genuine sounding reassurances to him.

San only responds with a pained whimper as he bit harder. It was very rare that he had to endure this kind of pain, and the fact that he had to go through this _three_ times today did not make it any easier. If anything, it made it worse! He just wanted it to stop, but at least Ichi wasn't ripping out the new growths this time. No, he was allowing the skull to push itself out and the muscle tendrils were free to writhe about before securing themselves in place.

Their right shoulder twitched as the pain coursed in deep like a spider-web through their chest and wing. Ichi continued to hold in his cries of pain, watching from the corner of an eye as the regeneration process completed itself, and their new brother was 'born' once more.

The torture faded quickly now that the process was over, leaving only a dull ache, and San let go of their slave as Ichi pulled them from the magma pool, lava dripping from them onto the black ground beneath. Ichi let out a breath as he settled their body to rest comfortably, some lava still clinging to them. Although they were finally given relief from the pain for the first time since this morning, there was already tension in the air, as the alpha head was uncertain of how his healed brother would react.

He imagined the right head would not have taken the delay of his regeneration well. Much less, the torment he had no doubt gone through each time Ichi removed the regrowths. It brought a pang of guilt through the alpha head, but the process needed to be done, for his own sake.

But when he was expecting snarls and angry swear words hurled in his direction, there was only silence, and he turned his head to glance at him from the corner of an eye. Ni's eyes were still closed; he would've been fully conscious during the whole process, but he didn't seem to want to acknowledge them. Ichi would have loved to keep the peace, but there was another step in the process of Ni's regeneration and given the circumstances, he wasn't sure if it was the best idea right now.

"Brother Ni?"

"Just do it," came the muttering response.

"If you need tim-"

"Just…" Ni interrupts with a voice sharp with restrained impatience, but it was clear he was trying to keep monotone. "Get it done already."

Ichi let out a breath, but doesn't push the issue. He takes the second horn from Ni's left side, the longest one, in his jaws before hesitating. He's done this plenty of times before, marking his brother like this. Ever since their first fight, Ichi has insisted on doing this to his brother with every regeneration. To remind him of their dark times, mimicking one of the injuries he had sustained during their first fight. An injury that was not erased by simple healing like the rest. It was always an easy task for the eldest brother to perform before, but this time…

Just make it quick.

He closed his eyes and snapped the horn off. Ni stifled his roar, only a choked groan escaping his throat as blood dripped from the broken horn. It wasn't long before the bleeding stopped and Ni gave a shake of his head as if to throw off the lingering pain before turning away silently. Ichi dropped the broken piece before taking a breath. But before he could say anything, San was upon his older brother. He always had a habit of greeting his siblings whenever they regenerated, an odd behavior given that they never left, and now was no exception.

Despite knowing better, he pressed his snout against his Ni's neck in a nuzzle. At once, the right head's lips curled in a snarl, but strangely no growl escaped him. He was clearly unhappy with being touched, but he endured the show of affection as San purred to him.

"Welcome back, Brother Ni," he cooed. He kept his face pressed into scales for a moment before he felt something was off. Usually by now, he would've been bitten and thrown off. Last time Ni allowed him to do this, it ultimately did not end well. He pulled away, watching his brother with both curiosity and worry.

Ni was glaring at him, eyes still sharp with his usual disdain but he said nothing as he lowered his head beneath San's level. His eyes shifted to look off to the side, as if trying to avoid looking at him. The left head blinked. Holding the head lower was a sign of submission, but that couldn't be right! Ni never ever showed submission to anyone but Ichi. Perhaps, instead, this was a gesture of apology? That seemed almost as unlikely, but given the previous conversation he and Ichi held with Ni's neurons, maybe he wanted to show that he heard and understood, and wanted forgiveness.

San's heart soared. Was this the first step towards his brother loving him? Maybe it was a sign of acceptance to his affections and a willingness to bond! He beamed, purring louder and more enthusiastically before trying to show his brother that everything was alright between them by licking and nibbling the top of his head. He's never groomed Ni before, or rather he never did without being harmed afterwards…

Ichi was silent, watching Ni flinch and bare his teeth again. But he still wasn't snapping at the little one, as he always would whenever groomed by him. Something was very wrong here, and Ichi worried that Ni had reverted to his broken state. But he didn't appear nearly as… dead as he was before, and indeed, he looked to be barely tolerating San's efforts. The fact he was tolerating it at all, though…

Maybe something has gone wrong with the regeneration? Was that even a possibility? Or was it that Ni listened to what he told him, and was now making efforts to better his relationship to San as a result. His obvious discomfort was not too different than how it was when Ichi gently cleaned him. He didn't know, as both seemed like very viable theories, given the timing.

"Brother San," Ichi spoke up, catching the youngest's attention and having him stop the grooming, although the tip of his tongue was still sticking out. Ichi nodded his head to the side, gesturing for him to give Ni room. San showed some reluctance, as he wanted to smother his brother with all the grooms and nuzzles and cuddles, make up for lost time. But he'll have another opportunity, he's sure and he followed what he was told nonetheless, much to Ni's relief.

He still did not lift his head though, refusing to make eye-contact. Ichi let his eyes scan over his brother for any sign of physical imperfections but everything seemed in order. Just his behavior was off. He knew better than to ask if he were alright; it always got the same answer no matter the situation ("Fine."). So instead, he decided to approach it at a different angle. A dangerous angle, but one he can't avoid anyway, so might as well get it over with.

"I take you are now willing to listen."

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" Ni grumbled, much to Ichi's surprise. He was expecting immediate resistance, but it seemed the right head has officially given up the fight. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. On one wing, he won their conflict and can now reap the rewards. But was this really a victory worth celebrating?

"I do not wish to force you to do something you do not want to do. But you must understand that 'talking' is inevitable, and your attempts to delay it is only causing unnecessary pain for everyone involved. Including yourself."

Ni was saying nothing. Ichi can tell by the twitching of his lips that he was holding himself back from snarling. His unhappiness was clear, but he was nonetheless remaining submissive. The conflict within Ichi grew, but at least he was making it seem like Ni had a choice in the matter, even if that wasn't the case. At the very least, he can confirm if one of his theories concerning Ni's behavior was true…

"Did you understand what I told you about Brother San?"

"Yes." Ni muttered an answer, still lacking in emotion and sounding almost robotic.

"And with the knowledge I gave you, do you still see him as 'worthless'?"

Ni was silent for a while, either reluctant or uncertain of his answer, Ichi couldn't tell. But it wasn't an immediate 'no', so Ichi continued. "I am going to put into place some changes in my expectations of how you treat Brother San. I will not tolerate abusive behavior towards him any longer, Brother Ni. No more attacking him unprovoked, no more unwarranted displays of dominance over him. No longer will it be your job to punish him, unless I say so. Should it be necessary, you will stop when I demand. If you disobey any of these orders, then you will be punished accordingly. Understood?"

"Yes." The mention of punishment had him flinch ever so slightly. A 'blink and you'll miss it' kind of action, but Ichi caught it. He knew better than to bring it up though. This was going so smoothly, and he didn't want to risk it all by pointing out a 'weakness' that'll no doubt result in him shutting them out again.

Still, it was interesting to take note of, as Ichi watched him for a silent moment. Ni was still refusing to even look at him…

"I want you to be honest in your answers to me, Brother Ni," Ichi told him. "Do not just tell me what you think I want to hear. Look at me and tell me you understand."

Ni let out a breath that sounded dangerously close to growling. But he was still keeping himself in line as he looked up at Ichi. He can still see the anger in his eyes, the hatred. "I understand."

Ichi watched him for another moment before nodding. "Good. Now, we will _talk_. Properly."

The emphasis on that word was more than enough to tell Ni what kind of 'talk' they're going to have. This time, the right head couldn't keep in the growl but he averted his eyes again, staring at the ground beneath them. It began to bother Ichi how he kept avoiding eye-contact. Even in his previously loyal state, Ni would hold his gaze, proud but respectful. Seemed now though, he was employing every option available to avoid the risk of escalating the situation. Whatever made this easier for him; Ichi decided that he wasn't going to force him to look at him again. Especially now that they were heading into dangerous territory.

"Let us start with a question I gave you earlier, about our time as children. Do you regret what you did?"

Ichi thought he knew the answer, but he wanted to test the waters with something simple. Something long in their past and thus, given time to heal as opposed to the more recent issues that Ni may fight him on more readily. Plus he wanted to _hear_ Ni say it, confirm it. Rather than him having to make assumptions based on a spark that may or may not have been there. The response did not come quick and Ni bared his teeth again, although he still refused to look up at him. The alpha can tell he was struggling through millions of years of guarded habit but eventually…

"Yes."

"Thank you," Ichi said, wanting to encourage this behavior, especially with how reluctant his brother was. Hopefully, it can continue peacefully and Ichi just had to tread carefully. Don't let it sound like he was demanding it; that'll just have Ni react defensively as he had done before. "May you tell me why you persisted for so long, vying for my position? Surely power was not worth having us both suffer for as long as we have."

"It wasn't for power," Ni muttered. "I didn't care about the power."

"Then why?"

It took longer for the right head to finally answer, closing his eyes as he got his voice to work. His words were quieter, as if hoping they won't be heard although Ichi heard it loud and clear. "Because I felt worthless, being at the very lowest. The only way out was up, and so I fought. Not because I wanted to be alpha, but because it was the only other option."

The eldest brother blinked at this, a bit taken aback. That wasn't at all what he expected to hear. His proud, angry, vicious brother felt- "Worthless?" Of course, that very word had him glance at San and suddenly the pieces were falling together. "This is why you call Brother San 'worthless'. Because he's now the 'lowest' of our chain, as you had once been…"

San lowered his eyes, not knowing what to think. He didn't see anything wrong with being the third in a set of three, but apparently Ni disagreed. His mind returned to that previous night, where Ni told him he was worthless. The amount of hate and venom put into it. Was Ni seeing himself when he said that?

Ni doesn't respond to Ichi's deduction, so the eldest continued. "I will tell you what I told Brother San: You have never been worthless, Brother Ni. Your position does not determine your value, even back then. If you had told me-"

"What would you have done to fix it?" Ni interrupted with a glare, habit once more taking hold of him. But he caught himself and glanced away again, keeping in a growl as he did. But he nonetheless brought up a good point and Ichi fell silent as the right head continued. "How could _talking_ have fixed any of it? Would you have given me your position?"

There was a moment of silence, as Ichi thought the question through. The idea of giving up his alpha position was terrible and if it had been any other situation, he would've immediately rejected the notion. But knowing what he does now…

"Yes," Ichi told him in no uncertain terms. The answer clearly surprised Ni, who only really asked those questions to make his point. But it backfired in a way he didn't see coming. Even San was looking at the eldest in utter disbelief, but he held firm. "If it meant your happiness and sense of self-worth, and an end to our pain, then I would have."

"Then why didn't you?" Ni grumbled. "We fought plenty, but each time you refused to surrender despite knowing it would only continue for longer."

"Because you never talked to me, Brother Ni," Ichi told him, feeling like real progress was being made with that sentence. Maybe with it, Ni would understand the value of communicating beyond the bare minimum. "And because you refused, I was not made aware of your motives. I was only left to assume you were merely being defiant, stubborn. A brat unable to accept defeat, and unfit to lead. So I fought back."

Silence between them, and Ichi searched his brother's face for some sign that he understood. But he was expressionless, keeping whatever thoughts he had to himself. Ichi watched him for a moment before letting out a breath. It felt so good to get this much out of him and for a moment, he wanted more. But he kept himself in check. This was rare, yes, but it was best not to overwhelm his brother. Small steps. Short sessions that can end on a good note. With luck, perhaps Ni will come to see that these conversations were doing no harm to him and he can open up more under his own free will.

Foolish expectations? Perhaps.

"I will leave you to think on that, Brother Ni, for I want you to truly understand on your own terms," he started. "We will talk again tonight, but should you wish to continue, we may."

Ni said nothing and he took that as him needing some time. Very well, it was a great spot to leave off on for now. He gave a nod, sharing his feelings of gratitude and approval through their neurons. "Thank you, Brother Ni."

"Thank you, Brother Ni." San repeated after his brother.

Ni still remained silent as the youngest nuzzled against him again. They seemed so happy, even the damn bird, and Ichi must have felt such smug victory over him…

He hated it, he hated all of it. He hated how he was forced to talk, and he hated the fact that the threat of torture was looming over him if he refused. Without a doubt, should he dare to fight back again, he would have to endure that terrible agony where Ichi kept him in a state of decapitation for no other reason than to make him suffer.

He hated the knowledge that his brother was able to tear into his exposed and vulnerable flesh and bone, to do him such terrible harm, on top of the pain he already had to go through. He felt all of it, searing into his memory with excruciating detail. He felt his brother strip off the muscle tendrils, he felt the severing of his airway and blood vessels. He felt every crunch made to his vertebrae as they grew. He felt it all, _twice_, and all the while, Ni had no means of defending himself from the cruelty at all. But he had endured it, taken all of it with silent dignity. It was a principle that he had snarled at San for not having, and he would be the example of practicing what he preached.

Even if it means enduring this disgusting display of affection as San proceeded to groom him. He wanted to bite the little pest so badly, millions of years of habit was working against him, but he was strong and he held himself back. Even without the threat of torture over his head, it wasn't as if he had a choice anyway. If there was a lesson to be learned here, it was that one simply does not fight against those that are of higher rank than yourself no matter what terrible things they do. And as much as he hated the notion, no matter how much it made him want to vomit… That was what San was now. Higher ranked than him.

No more was it his place to reject the unwanted affections. No more was it his place to refuse what was asked of him. Demanded of him. He could no longer refuse to talk as he otherwise would have. For he has accepted his punishment at its fullest extent, including the punishment Ichi had deemed most 'fitting'. Ni, former second-in-command and proud warrior…

… was now nothing more than a slave.


End file.
